US train crash kills two and injures 116

An Amtrak train carrying 147 people has collided with a goods train in the US state of South Carolina, killing two people and injuring 116 others. The two fatalities were both members of Amtrak staff, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has confirmed. He said the incident – the latest in a series in recent years – should trigger a national debate about rail safety.

Just four days ago, a lorry driver was killed when his vehicle hit a train carrying lawmakers in Virginia.

The South Carolina crash happened at 02:35 local time (07:35 GMT) in the town of Cayce, just outside the state capital Columbia. The train was travelling from New York and heading for Miami, when it hit the goods train, causing its lead engine and several carriages to derail. Governor McMaster said it appeared the Amtrak train had been on the wrong track at the time of the crash.